


Curses

by saurgristiel



Series: Pieces [2]
Category: Gackt (Musician) RPF, GacktJOB
Genre: Handsy Ghost, M/M, Pain, Past Relationship(s), Supernatural Elements, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-03 04:18:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14560695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saurgristiel/pseuds/saurgristiel
Summary: Gackt and You go to clean the family grave in Okinawa





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Happens just after Gackt and Malice Mizer part ways.
> 
> Originally posted to Livejournal on February 12-16, 2016.

“You’re going to wear _that_ ,” You started as he looked at a t-shirt and short-shorts-clad Gackt, packing up the car, “to clean your family’s grave?”

He himself was dressed in light pants and a t-shirt, and he figured that the ancestors wouldn’t like too much skin showing.

“You know how hot it can get out there. And it hasn’t been done for a couple of years, so there’s probably a lot to do.”

You was still skeptical. Gackt had dyed his hair a darker red before they’d left for Okinawa. And the week before, Malice Mizer had just pretty much fired him. When Kami had called him, saying to “get to Tokyo _right now_ ”, You had expected the worst. But it was far different than he had feared. Gackt was just having a tantrum.

He had also taken Kami siding with Mana for a hiatus as some sort of betrayal and told him to immediately move out. That he didn’t want to see his butterfly ever again. That Kami should have known that music was Gackt’s lifeblood and he needed to keep working.

Of course, those were all assumptions. In Gackt’s anger and immaturity, he even accused Kami of being unfaithful. They got into a huge fight and Kami left to let Gackt cool off. You had gotten on the next train. Kami knew that You would be able to help.

And that was why You was now in Okinawa, pre-sunrise, helping his best friend and ex-lover clean his family graves. He needed the no-pressure companionship right now, or who knew what could happen…

You approached the subject carefully. “Gaku… Didn’t you tell me, a while ago, that extreme emotions can make you… um… _vulnerable_?” he whispered the last part.

“What? I’m fine,” _a lie_ , “besides, they don’t care. They’re just happy it’s getting done. We’ve cleaned it dressed in less than this before. I think they like what a fine specimen I’ve come out to be.” Gackt winked at You. “They like you too.”

You snorted, “Right…” He laughed as he watched Gackt reapply a massive amount of bug repellant to his legs. They both figured the cloud from that should ward off the bugs for both of them.

But he knew he’d still be putting ointment _somewhere_ later.

~*~*~*~*~*~

You had noticed that Gackt had ignored his concerns about his friend’s mental state. You wasn’t sure if he believed that Gackt could see ghosts or whatnot, but he believed that Gackt believed.

The day was getting progressively warmer and Gackt was now just in his shorts. You had changed into beach shorts as well, but kept his shirt on. The trees around them were quite good at slowing any breeze down, but luckily there was a small stream nearby. It came from a spring no too far away, so it was very fresh and Gackt actually had no problem drinking from it. You wasn’t as sure though.

The family grave was elevated from the stream by about 4 feet, with a gentle slope going to the door in front and steps down to the stream behind. It was a lovely setting and You supposed this _would_ be a nice place to stay for eternity.

They had finished inside, trimmed the grass and taken down the vines that had grown around it. Next was scrubbing the biological gunk off.

“Hey, I’m going to get more water, you get the brushes!” Gackt called to him.

“’Kay!” You called back as he headed to the car. A suddenly cool wind made You shiver and it started to get cloudy. _Great, caught out here in a storm…_ He rummaged through the trunk to find the brushes when he heard the water bucket clunk twice into stone.

He started back towards the grave, but he was tackled by something. He tried to turn over, but couldn’t. “Gackt, this isn’t funny!” He was forcibly turned onto his back by

Nothing.

“W-what…?!” He felt something caress his cheeks and he turned away. He saw Gackt stumble to his knees like he’d been pushed by someone, then knocked to the ground. “Gak-!” The last part was cut off. No more sound would come out and he thought he felt a couple of raindrops on his face.

“No…” Gackt struggled out. He made it onto his knees before he heard an otherworldly voice.

_“F o u n d y o u…”_ It sounded delighted in a deranged way. He was shoved onto his back and the spirit covered him. _“Do you remember… me?”_

The spirit looked like a Noh demon mask on an amorphous body. Gackt had never seen this one before.

_“No? How about…now?”_ Its form changed to that of a mischievous spirit he remembered from his childhood.

“Y-you…” The air felt cold and wrong as he breathed in. It was one of the first spirits he remembered seeing after he nearly drowned.

It smiled a toothy grin that spread too far.

Gackt started a banishment spell on pure reflex. He wasn’t even aware of the words he was saying. It backed off and Gackt started to crawl backwards. That is, until his voice disappeared. “No, no…” he mouthed until he felt a pain just under his chest.

The unnatural grin widened.

Gackt got up and staggered toward the grave. Instead, he was slammed into the wall. It wasn’t at full force though. It was like his soul had expanded or dislodged and absorbed some of the blow. He felt something around his neck and he was thrown backwards, with that same sensation of his soul hitting first.

Gackt clutched at his chest as he turned over and tried to get up. There was a hard kick to his side that sent him rolling towards the stream. His body connected with the ground 2 feet lower than he had been.

“Gackt!” You tried to call out, but there was no sound. He felt a something on his lips, like someone telling him to be quiet.

_“Can you feel it, pulling at your soul? Splitting it from your body…”_

Gackt could still breathe, but it was getting more painful. It felt like someone was snapping rubber bands against the inside of his chest. He crawled towards the stream and started to draw something in the dirt. A sharp pain stabbed him in a kidney and he was shoved into the stream. It was fairly shallow, but it was still unwanted wetness. The spirit wiped away the unfinished binding symbol and threw Gackt back up into You’s view. Landing hard on his side, he coughed, tasting blood, as the few droplets they had felt turned into a light rain.

You grasped the ground, trying to move. He looked back up and oddly he felt no rain hitting him. He could almost see something like an oil slick on a wet parking lot.

Gackt caught air with a kick to the stomach and landed hard on his back. He coughed and felt the spirit cover him again.

_“Souls are… tastier… when they’re… ten der ized…”_

Gackt was feeling like he was going to throw up as the spirit moved a ‘hand’ to his mouth. He could feel something moving within him.

_“That’s a piece of me, doing some preparation…”_

Gackt’s fly was torn open and his thong was ripped away. He felt the eerie chill of a spirit crawl into his shorts, finding his lower chakras. Gackt squirmed and tried to attack it, but two more ‘hands’ held his arms down.

He couldn’t believe this was happening. Not only was he going to have his soul eaten, it was going to do it in the worst way possible. He thought he’d had his defenses up, he thought he could have held his own against anything that might be out here… And now his dear You was involved…

He felt more movement, in several places, and he continued to fight it the best he could. He could feel the lump in his throat starting to move and pain lanced through his body.

You saw his mouth open, but no sound came out, fear and pain clearly written on his best friend’s face. Suddenly there was the _middle_ of a scream (that was the best way You could describe it), and Gackt was silent again, still fighting. His back arched off the ground and his heels dug into the wet dirt. You thought he saw Gackt’s eyes turn black for a second, but that couldn’t be right, could it?

Suddenly the weight disappeared off of You and he scrambled up to try to help Gackt.

“Wait!” It was Gackt’s grandmother and sister. In their hands were various spiritual tools. You briefly looked at the ground and saw a mix of spices, rock salt, and beans.

Gackt’s grandmother looked angrily towards Gackt as she walked up to join You. As they crept closer, You hiding behind Grams, he could see Gackt’s hands twitching, bruises starting to form without swelling, and his eyes dancing around like he was reading in fast motion, his eyebrows scrunched in pain.

Grams started chanting something and readied her special mix and threw it at the end of her chant. There was a chilling scream throughout the woods as Gackt’s torso lifted off the ground and fell limply back to the dirt, still twitching and eyes searching, mouth opening and closing somewhat like a fish.

Miyuki knew it was over, at least temporarily, by her grandmother’s calmness and she let go of You’s wrist. He rushed to Gackt and tried to get his attention. He thought Gackt’s eyes stayed within the general area of looking at him, so he couldn’t be too damaged, right? He quickly closed Gackt’s shorts to spare him _some_ dignity.

Grams knelt down and examined Gackt and sighed. “This is beyond my skill. We need to get him home. Miyuki, bring the car closer!”

“W-what h-happened?” You was starting to shake as the rain came down a little harder.

“You two were attacked by spirits… I knew I shouldn’t have let him come out here… Why didn’t you do your job!” She shouted at the family grave, while throwing some of her bean mix at it. She took a deep breath. “I can explain better later. Help Miyuki get him into the car.” She stood up and went to secure the car that the boys had taken out there.

Gackt whined when Miyuki took his knees and You took him around his torso.

You was in the back seat, holding Gackt, who was rather sprawled out on the seat. He was quite dirty now, but that didn’t matter. Miyuki covered Gackt’s shuddering form with a blanket and got in the driver’s seat.

Grams kept urging her to drive faster, despite the weather, and sure enough, a couple of cops stopped them. You caressed Gackt’s chest as the cops came up.

“Know how fast you were going?”

“Yes, she does, little Hide-kun.” The cop’s eyes widened as he recognized Grams.

“Uh, oh, ma’am…” He peeked in the backseat, an eyebrow rising. “Is that…?”

“My grandson? Yes, it is. He had an… encounter.”

“Oh, um… just be careful.” He tipped his hat and motioned for them to go

You was confused and decided to ask her about that later.

~*~*~

Grams kept checking the rear-view mirror as they drove, but You didn’t think it was her grandson she kept checking on. Gackt had calmed down somewhat, but nerves were still firing at random, making him twitch every 5 seconds or so. You kept stroking his chest, letting him know that someone was there for him.

Grams’ eyes were locked on the mirror as they entered what was considered ‘Okabe Land’. She sighed in relief and shifted her focus forward.

“-ou…” A strained noise came from Gackt. “-ou…” It seemed he couldn’t get the ‘y’ sound out.

Grams looked in the backseat as You nuzzled Gackt’s head and said, “I’m right here.” He rubbed Gackt’s stomach and kept whispering calming things in his ear.

Grams unbuckled Miyuki and herself as they pulled into the driveway. “We’ll be right back. Come, Miyuki.” She hurried out of the car and into the house before the car even stopped. Miyuki bit her lip and looked at her brother before rushing into the house as well.

“-ou… Yuh… ou…”

“Shh… We’re at Grams’.” Gackt seemed a little agitated so he gave him a little squeeze and kissed the back of his head. “It’s okay…”

You’s heart was still racing and he was _really_ looking forward to a talk with Grams.

Miyuki came rushing back to the car about 5 minutes later. Plopping herself into the seat, she said, “We’re going to take him to Grams’ room. She’s calling someone who can help.” She ran her hands down her face. It was harder for her to see her brother this way than it was for You.

“Miyu… He’ll be okay.” You offered his hand to her and gave hers a squeeze.

“Yeah…” She took a deep breath and whispered ‘dumbass’ under her breath. Directed at her brother, not You. “Let’s go. This rain won’t magically quit.”

They hauled Gackt into the house, something much easier than getting him into the car. There was an extra sheet on Grams’ bed and some towels on top of that. They laid him down and made him what they thought would be comfortable before trying to dry him off.

Grams came into the room with a short stack of papers. “They’ll be here soon. Miku-chan’s brother gave her a heads up. Miyuki, put these on the doors, walls, and windows please.” Miyuki nodded and put the ofuda up in the room and the rest of the house.

“Grams-”

“Later, You.” She cut him off. You looked down as a sign of submission and started cleaning the mud off of Gackt. Grams left the two of them alone while she prepared things for the guests and for dinner later.

The panic seemed to have left Gackt, only moving when You hit a sensitive spot. “Let’s close those eyes, huh?” You put his hand up to Gackt’s face, but Gackt beat him to it and voluntarily closed his eyes. You sighed. “You’ve got so much explaining to do…” He stroked Gackt’s forehead and bruising cheek, then resumed cleaning.

About 15 minutes later, You heard a car and noise in the rest of the house. Grams and a young woman appeared in the doorway.

“You-chan, this is Mikumi Kishigami. Miku-chan, this is You Kurosaki. You know my grandson.”

“Nice to meet you.” You and Miku said in sync. They both smiled despite the situation. She came in and knelt beside the bed. She asked You what had happened, exactly, and then examined Gackt. She thought for a few minutes and You could almost hear/see the gears turning in her head.

Suddenly, she broke the silence, “I think his soul is dislodged and he can’t quickly correct that. He’s trying, but…”

“You _can_ help him, right?” You worried. His soul being dislodged sounded pretty serious.

“I should be able to. Grams could have as well, but it can be dangerous when people are related.”

“‘Grams’?”

“She’s been my mentor, so, yes.” Miku smiled.

You smiled back and nodded in understanding.

“Well, let’s get started.” She stood and left the room. You rubbed Gackt’s hand, nervous about all of this. ‘Dislodging’ his soul was ugly enough, what would putting it back be like?

~*~*~*~*~*~


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting some help can hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lotsa screaming... And not the good kind...

“I’m sorry, but you can’t be in here while we do this.” Miku’s hand was on You’s shoulder, he must have nodded off for a moment. “You don’t have to leave the house or anything, but you will have to leave the room.”

“Okay.” You got up and was rather intimidated by the four monks that were suddenly in the room. He squeezed between them and joined Miyuki and Grams in the kitchen.

“You, have you had lunch?” Grams asked as she set a cup of tea in front of him.

“No, we hadn’t yet… I don’t think I could right now…”

“At least have some tea.” Miyuki smiled at him.

You looked at the cup but was startled when they heard the bed being moved.

“Miku’s the best around now that Grams is retired.”

The smell of incense wafted into the kitchen.

You took a sip, but it wasn’t sitting well.

They heard chanting start and Grams moved so she could look into her room. Miyuki dragged her chair over to join her. You didn’t want to watch, but he felt a morbid need to. He left his tea on the table and sat on the floor outside the room.

Miku had one hand on his forehead and the other on his chest. She suddenly gasped and her head dropped onto the bed. The chanting continued for what seemed like forever.

~~~

_”Gackt?” No answer. “Sato-kun?” Still nothing. “It’s Miki-chan. I’m here to-”_

_“Help me!” Gackt’s voice cried. “Please help me!”_

_“It’s okay, that’s why I’m here.” Miku looked at him. From the hips up, she could see his soul pulled from his body. The legs weren’t quite in the right place but were still attached. He was as distressed as an animal caught in a trap._

_She took a step forward but was stopped by a hand intertwined with hers._

_“Don’t. He might hurt you.” It was a child with a stuffed elephant._

_“Sato-kun.” Miku squatted down beside him. “It’s Miki-chan. Do you remember me?”_

_“I do, but he doesn’t.” He looked at his older self. “That thing… At the grave…” he hugged his elephant. “It hurt us…”_

_“Is it just the two of you?” He shook his head. “How many?”_

_“Three more.” It was a little worse than she thought._

_“Can you get them for me?” He shook his head in fear. “If you want to live again, to be with You-kun, or your sister, you’ve got to.”_

_“He’ll forget me.”_

_“No, I don’t think so. I think he’ll appreciate you even more.” She stroked his cheek._

_“O-Okay…” He disappeared and she walked over to the current, struggling, Gackt._

_“Gackt-”_

_“I have… to help… You-chan!” He struggled like his legs were set in concrete. “I have to! He’s in danger!”_

_“Gackt, calm down. You’re not in danger anymore. From the evil spirit anyway…” She touched his arm and he froze, face whipping towards her._

_“Who are you? How are you here? Where is You? Where am I?”_

_“One at a time…” She smiled. “I’m Miki-chan, from first-grade.” She saw a little recognition in his eyes. “You’re at your grandmother’s house. You-san is fine. I’m here to help_ you _be fine.”_

_“I’m not fine?” She smiled like he was a child and pointed down. “Oh… I need help to fix this…” His face fell. “I thought I could handle it… It was just-”_

_“Too strong. From what I’ve been told, this one was… one of the meaner ones.” Miku felt a tug on her hand. She turned and saw the rest of Gackt’s being. She patted child Gackt’s head. They looked eager to be whole again._

_“There’s something that I have to do before we start.” They all gathered in a clump beside their stuck self. “I have to examine you all. A spirit this powerful would probably mark its prey, so it can track it down if the feeding gets interrupted. And then I have to remove that mark, which will be painful. Combining you all will be painful… And restoring you will be painful. I’m sorry.”_

_They all seemed to think about what was coming. “Okay, Miki-chan,” Sato-kun piped up. The others nodded._

_They each turned for her and she examined them. She wasn’t quite sure what she was looking for, but figured it would stand right out to her._

_She finished with the 4 free Gackts and apprehensively turned to the trapped one. She looked him over and found a large ragged mark on his back. He tried to get away from her hand as she hovered over it._

_“It burns!”_

_The other Gackts looked down. Why couldn’t one of them (except chibi) have been the one to have it? Not the most traumatized one._

_“Are you ready?” She placed her hand on his shoulder._

_“I don’t think I could be…”_

~~~

Gackt screamed and arched off the bed, startling everyone. It died down a few seconds later into pained crying and collapsing back onto the bed. You put his face to his knees in a silent prayer.

~~~

_He was slouched forward as Miku cupped his cheek. “I think I got all of it… The faster we do this, the better.”_

_Gackt supported himself on his elbows, panting, as she approached the other four. He winced and shook as she combined them into one ball of energy._

_“Here goes.” Gackt’s back straightened and his eyes went wide as she pushed the energy ball into his back. He put his hands down to support himself when she was done._

_“One more… Probably the toughest one… You won’t wake up immediately. You need some time to get reacquainted with your body and you’ll probably be extra-sensitive because of that. You probably won’t remember what happened here either.”_

_“It’s okay, Mikumi.” He looked at her with a small smile and a look of reluctant readiness._

_“3. 2. 1...”_

~~~

Gackt started screaming and thrashing on the bed. Miku’s head picked up but her eyes didn’t open. She moved one hand from his chest to his hip to try to keep him on the bed while they straddled the two worlds.

You squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ears, not wanting to hear this. Though he felt that no matter how far away he might have been, he would have known something bad was happening to his best friend. The odd thing about this being that it was actually something _good_ happening to him.

Gackt let out one last cry and flopped haphazard on the bed. Miku stiffly sat up and adjusted his limbs so they were all on the bed. The monks soon finished chanting and the house was silent. Sometime during the ritual the rain had stopped.

Each monk went to a candle and blew it out, knowing the job was finished. Miyuki was against Grams’ shoulder taking many breaths of relief. You just sat there in his little ball. He felt that the evil spirit had been oddly merciful by silencing the both of them, but maybe the spirit was just being cautious.

He heard Miyuki get up and prepare more tea, the monks cleaning up the room, helping Miku to the kitchen, and moving the bed back into place.

“You, come to the table.” Grams called. It was not a request but it took him a moment to recognize her words and start moving.

~*~*~*~*~*~


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gackt wakes up.

He got up and looked at Gackt and the monks tending to him. They gently smoothed holy oil on his bruises and placed a cool washcloth on his forehead. You checked his friend over, bruises still forming. He closed his eyes, hung his head, and turned for the kitchen.

Miku had her eyes closed and her chin resting in her hands. He flopped into the chair next to hers and sighed. Grams freshened the tea, but no one spoke. You shuddered when he thought about the day’s events.

He reached for his teacup, but his hand was shaking so badly he dared not touch it, let alone pick it up. He pulled his hand back and under the table to join the other one.

“I…” _Great job, mouth…_ “I had no idea it could be that bad…” You whispered.

“It usually isn’t… for Gaku anyway,” Miyuki clarified. “When he’s busy, the ability wanes. But throw in a vulnerability, like illness, love, or severe stress…”

That was why they’d all been worried. Two out of three had happened recently.

“I didn’t know what to make of what he’d told me. I didn’t believe him at first, but then there were little things… And then I could tell when he was having a moment… But nothing like this has happened before…” You put his face in his hands and his elbows on the table. Miyuki rubbed his shoulder.

“He’ll be okay, You… He should be, anyway.” Miku had perked up a little and reached for her tea. “He needs some time, but he’ll be able to get better now.” She took a sip. “Mmm… Yum. But… I need the bathroom.”

She started to get up and a monk was instantly there to help her up. “I can do it. Once you’re done with him and all cleaned up, I want you guys to check the perimeter and then you can leave, okay?”

“I’d rather someone stay here with you.”

“We’ll be fine. You can come back later to pick me up. I need some time here.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He followed behind her and made sure she got to the bathroom safely, then briefed the other monks.

“I was completely useless…” You complained. He had always had Gackt’s back, mostly, but he’d saved Gackt’s tail more than once.

“No you weren’t,” Miyuki tried to comfort him.

“Yes I was. You saw it Grams. I couldn’t do anything…”

Grams smiled like he was her own grandson. “You overestimate my abilities, You. I’m not as sensitive as Gaku is. He can see great detail, like a magnifying glass. I can see blobs… He’s just like his grandfather…” She looked a little sad as she remembered her late husband. “Unlike the fights you boys would get into, there was no way you could have been prepared. You did the best you could.”

“Which was absolutely nothing…” You stared into his teacup.

“Not nothing,” Miku returned, coming up behind You, one hand on his forehead and one on his chest. “You were bait, a distraction… and an anchor for Gackt.”

“But-”

“Shush. Close your eyes and don’t talk.” He did so and she closed her eyes as well. They stayed that way for a couple of minutes. He didn’t notice her sit back down.

“He was worried about you. It’s possible that you kept him from giving up. You’re fine by the way. No tracking marks, stolen bits, or wounds. Seems it just detained you.”

You finally opened his eyes and looked at her. “What was that…?” He looked down and his hands were steady and he felt clean on the inside.

“I checked to make sure the spirit hadn’t done anything to you. You might be, like, one percent more sensitive to otherworldly things, but considering you were probably at zero, it shouldn’t mean too much.”

The monks finally took their leave, and since they didn’t come back within a few minutes, the perimeter was assumed safe.

~*~

It had been about an hour since the ritual ended and they heard Gackt start to mumble and stir. He started whining in his sleep, making other noises, and shifting under the sheet.

You was not taking the hint in the looks the women were giving him, trying to block out the memory of Gackt’s screams an hour ago.

“Ou… You… You!” _That_ got his attention, however. He looked up and the other three were glaring at him to go to Gackt. He got up, pulled on the hoodie that was on the back of the chair and headed for the doorway. The events of the day had left him chilled.

“He might be a little sensitive to touch!” Miku called after him.

“You! Nnnn… You…” Gackt cried in his sleep. You touched his hand but Gackt yanked it closer to his body. He took the washcloth from Gackt’s forehead, re-wet it and replaced it.

“It’s okay, Gaku… You’re safe now.” He stroked Gackt’s cheek and he flinched away.

“You…”

“It’s alright, we’re safe.” He tried stroking again and this time Gackt didn’t flinch. He whined instead.

He opened his eyes and turned to You, but he knew Gackt wasn’t awake yet. “You…” he mewled as tears welled in his eyes.

“Yes… we’re safe now, at Grams’.” He was nearly tackled to the floor by an instantly sobbing Gackt. He was gripping and pulling the hoodie so hard that You was afraid he’d rip it.

The shirt had originally been Gackt’s but it was three sizes too big for him, so it floated between the two, keeping them warm whenever they needed it. You had worn it most recently however.

“Y-Y-You…?” Gackt jerkingly took a deep breath of shirt several minutes later and pulled back a little to look up at You. He felt You cautiously stroke his thumbs on his lower back.

You smiled at him, “You look terrible…” And he really did: his face was red and splotchy, his eyes were red, and since his hair was a bit wet, it went kind of everywhere. Not to mention the bruises.

Gackt sob-scoff-laughed and let go of You’s shirt. He went to wipe his face but You stopped him.

“Let me do that. There’s oils on your face.” You made sure Gackt was steady and then reached for the tissues. Gackt looked down at himself, then the washcloth that was now on his lap, seeing bruises on his forearms. He looked around the room, recognizing it as his grandmother’s, and he could still smell the incense.

“Hey,” You turned Gackt’s chin with one finger and carefully wiped his face. Gackt shuddered as he tried to breathe normally.

“Are you… okay?” Gackt asked, running his hand shakily down You’s arm, apparently to check if this was real.

“Yes… a bit freaked out, but okay. You are too.” He wiped under Gackt’s chin and down his neck a bit too. And his ears, forehead, chest, basically drying all of him off, until Gackt stopped him.

He took You’s hands in his and looked up at You, maybe a bit of apprehension on his face. “I’m sorry… I-”

“Later Gaku, when you’re feeling better.” You smiled big at him and gently kissed his forehead. Gackt pulled You close for a hug, wanting to never let go.

“Thank you… for whatever happened today… Thank you.”

You hugged him back and sat down after a moment.

Gackt felt for his bum and was relieved to find he still had his shorts on. “You’re really okay? You didn’t get hurt, did you?” His voice was rough from the screaming earlier.

“I’m not hurt,” You reassured him. “Do you need to see me naked to prove it?”

Gackt looked up at him with mischief in his eyes. “Maybe later…” He said with a grin.

You snorted. “Yep, you’re fine,” he laughed.

Gackt looked out the window to the gray world. “That window’s new… It’s been too long since I came here…”

You smiled. Gackt always said that. He smiled more when he remembered the last time he’d come down here with Gackt. They’d still been a couple and managed to have the raunchiest, dirtiest sex they’d ever had on that trip, in this very house, while Grams was off doing errands. _Every day._ It had been amazing, but boy were they sore by the end of the week. You knew Gackt had brought Kami down one year. He’d heard it from Grams herself, wondering why her lovely You-chan hadn’t been there.

“Is, um, that girl still here?”

“You know about her?”

“Vaguely… I can’t recall her name, though…”

“I’ll get her for you.” You got up to leave but Gackt grabbed his sleeve quickly, not wanting to be alone, but knowing You had to go.

“Um… Maybe something to drink too? And… something to hold my hair back? Hairband, clips, whatever…” He looked up at You like a child. He wasn’t totally sure where this insecurity had come from.

“Of course. I’ll try to find something.” He ran his hand over Gackt’s hair and left him.

“Miku, he’d like to see you.” You got a glass of water and handed it to her. “You can take that in too.” She smiled and stood, leaving You to look for Gackt’s other request.

Gackt was watching nature pass by as Miku came in. She knew it wasn’t visible by regular people, but she could see a scar on his back from the ritual. It was smaller now though.

“Gackt-san…” she announced her presence hesitantly.

He turned to look at her, smoke almost coming out of his ears as he tried to remember her name. She looked so familiar… “M… M… Mi… Miho… No, that’s not right… Miko…”

She smiled at his attempts. “Mikumi.” There the bells rang.

“Miki-chan… Wow… You grew…”

“So did you. So far from the miserable little boy at that party…”

“Ugh… those parties…” Gackt did not have fond memories of any of those, especially after he almost drowned. They became tolerable after he met Miku though, a girl who was also too weird as a child. He called her Miki-chan after Mickey Mouse because he had her hair in buns like Sailor Moon.

“How are you feeling?”

“Raw…” He hadn’t wanted to admit it to You, but the touches hadn’t felt all that good.

“It’ll be a few days before you’re back up to normal… Some bad things happened to you.”

He nodded.

“Oh, duh…” She offered him the cup of water she had completely forgotten about. He drank half of it before she reminded him to take it easy.

“This is all I could find…” You came in with a stretchy headband. “It’s a new one from Miyu’s makeup kit…” You looked sheepish as he gave it to Gackt.

“Could you close the door on the way out, You-chan?”

“Yeah…” he replied, feeling a little pushed away.

“And bring some more water in 15 minutes?”

“Okay.” You felt better about that. He left and closed the door, leaning his ear against it until Miyuki shot a rubber band at him.

When Gackt was sure You had left the door, he asked Miku to help him with the headband.

“You were… in my head…” he started as she made his hair look like less of a disaster.

“We were on a spiritual plane.”

“That’s all I remember, though… Just you and me there. You-chan and I were attacked by something, and then you were with me, and then I woke up here…”

“It might come back to you, but it might not.”

“I hate this…”

They talked until You came back with more water. Gackt wanted to be alone and rest for a little while, so they let him be.

~*~*~*~*~*~


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's dinner time.

“You, why don’t you go tell Gaku that dinner is being prepared?”

“Ah, alright.” You got up and knocked on the bedroom door, letting himself in when he got no answer. It was still light outside, so You just turned a table lamp on. He took a seat next to the bed, not wanting to disturb the peaceful scene.

Gackt was curled up on his side, completely asleep. Not passed out, not dreaming, not having a nightmare, just asleep. The hairband was on the floor, so his hair was a mess and his mouth was open just a little bit. You was waiting for him to snore.

“Gaku,” You whispered. “Gaku, dinner’s being made, are you hungry?”

“Mmmm…” Gackt mumbled in his sleep.

“Gaku, it’s time to wake up…” You gently touched Gackt’s arm with his whole hand.

“Mmm…?” He started to stir and You heard him sniff the air a few times. Grams’ cooking was starting to waft around the rest of the house. Gackt blinked a few times then looked at a smiling You.

“Grams is working on dinner, are you hungry?”

“For Grams’ food?” Gackt smiled. “Always.” Gackt rolled onto his back and would have been perfectly content to go back to sleep.

“I think that’s the first time I’ve seen you sleep like that…”

“Hmm?”

“So… calmly, peacefully… You tend to scowl in your sleep, or look unsettled. It was only a couple of hours sleep but you looked like you were getting real sleep.”

“Could you find me something to wear? I don’t think ‘mostly naked’ is proper dinner attire.”

You recognized that tactic well. “Alright. Just don’t go back to sleep.” You got up and lightly nudged Gackt’s shoulder, going in search of clothing.

“I’ll try…” Gackt looked around the room and finished on the ofuda on the window. He looked past it and into the yard, swallowing hard when he saw what was there. He didn’t know how long he was staring, but You soon came back.

“Gaku, whatcha looking at?” You looked out the window, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “Gaku?” You touched his arm and that got his attention.

“Huh? What?” Gackt blinked a few times and looked at You.

“Whatcha looking at?”

“Uh… nothing… Did you find some clothes?”

You tried to laugh to lighten the mood. It didn’t work too well, but it got Gackt to smile. “Yeah.” He smiled because he knew what clothes they were.

You helped Gackt up and to standing, supporting him under the arms because he was a little shaky.

They were partway to the bathroom when Grams called out, “You’re supposed to be in bed, young man!” Just to tease her grandson.

“Gotta pee, Grams!”

“Then clean up for dinner while you’re at it!”

“Right-o.”

You felt Gackt ribs move in a silent laugh. They got to the bathroom and Gackt leaned against the counter. He unbuttoned his shorts and noticed something was missing.

“I thought I put on a thong this morning.”

“Yeah… It got torn off…”

That weirded Gackt out a bit. He hadn’t had a ghost un-clothe him before. “Uh-huh…” He slid his shorts down and let them fall to the floor, stepping into the toilet room on his own. You had been busy with something Gackt wasn’t paying attention to. He sat down hard, not wanting to tempt fate by relieving himself standing up.

“When you’re done, let me wash your back, okay?”

“Yeah…”

Gackt finished up and rejoined You. He washed his hands and leaned against the counter, looking in the mirror as You started washing his back. He hissed as You hit a sore spot.

“Sorry…” Gackt saw You sharpen his concentration to identify painful spots. “We tried to get as much mud off as we could earlier, but…” he let it hang there.

Gackt brought his hand to his ribs and felt around. He closed his eyes and focused on a few breaths. “Feels like I’ve got a cracked rib…”

“I wouldn’t be surprised…” Gackt saw You’s haunted look. “Could you lean over the counter a little?”

Gackt complied, flinching a little as You found some raw skin, probably from his thong being forcibly removed.

“It was that bad, huh?” Gackt looked in the mirror, but You was out of range. You was on to the back of his thighs now.

“Yeah…” he whispered, finishing up. “You scared me…” he mumbled as he stood, apparently right into Gackt’s arms. He buried his face in You’s shoulder.

“I was scared too…” He felt You’s arms carefully come around him. Gackt never wanted to let You out of his arms again. _If only this moment could last forever…_

“Dinner!” Miyuki called from the kitchen.

Gackt reluctantly pulled away. “So, what did you find for me to wear?” He looked at You expectantly.

“Well…” You pulled a pair of _his_ boxers out of the closet, handing them to a cringing Gackt, followed by a blue yukata and pink obi.

“Oh hell no.” Gackt recognized it as one of his grandmother’s yukata. “She didn’t have anything of Gramps’ hanging around? Wait, where’s _my_ stuff? Or your stuff?”

“We only brought in our backpacks last night, remember? The rest of our stuff is hopefully still in the car out at the grave.”

“Damnit.” Gackt facepalmed and then pulled on You’s boxers. They were a little big, but they weren’t going to fall off. You helped him into the yukata and helped tie the obi. “I guess it’s not _that_ bad…” He turned to look at the side. It didn’t fit like it was made for him, but it fit surprisingly well.

You had noticed Gackt’s attention keep getting pulled to the ofuda on the mirror. “Gaku, why do you keep looking at those?”

“I don’t…”

“Yes you do.”

“I d-”

“Dinner, you guys!”

“Okay!” Gackt winced as he yelled a little too hard. “Later… Maybe…”

“I’m gonna hold you to that.” He started to put Gackt’s arm over his shoulders.

“I can get there myself…”

“Nope, not having you fall.” Gackt sighed and let You help him to the table.

They plunked Gackt into a chair and You sat next to him. Grams was already seated and Miyuki brought the final dish to the table.

“You look terrible, Gaku-chan.” Miyuki teased.

“You try having your soul almost eaten and see how you-”

“Ow!” You yelped, grabbing under the table for his shin.

“Sorry You-chan,” Grams apologized.

“Ow!” Gackt yelped.

“You don’t joke about that. She’s in as much danger as you are, especially right now. All of us are…”

The table was quiet for a few moments. Grams started to eat, then the other 4 did as well. A conversation slowly started as well, but steering clear of any spiritual talk.

~*~*~*~*~*~


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikumi leaves and Gackt explains a few things to You.

After dinner, Mikumi called the monks to come pick her up. She thanked them for the food and then pulled You outside onto the porch after he’d helped Gackt to the couch.

“You,” she placed something in his hands. “I want you to have this, for when things might get… out of hand…” She clearly meant if there was a life or death situation. “I’d rather you didn’t tell Gackt about it…”

“Alright. What is it?”

“A talisman. Well, it’s actually one of those Catholic saint necklaces, but it works the same way. When you’re in trouble, grasp it and pray for help.”

“That really works?”

“Not usually, but this one’s different. That’s all I should say…”

“Okay. Thank you, Mikumi.” He hugged her and saw her car coming up the drive. “I hope we meet again on better terms.”

“I do too. Take care.”

You waved until he couldn’t see the car anymore. He went inside and locked the door.

“You cheating on me, You-chan?”

“No, doofus.” You rolled his eyes. “You cheating _with_ me?”

That did not get the expected response.

“Sorry…” You took the gift to the guestroom and put it in his backpack. He joined Gackt on the couch while Miyuki and Grams were cleaning up. Gackt was flipping through the channels, trying to find something to watch.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better, since we ate. How long had that been?”

“Since breakfast, but you were asleep for a lot of that time.”

“Oooh, a movie!” Miyuki came in and claimed the TV remote. It was something the boys had no interest in. You went to go talk to Grams, stranding Gackt with his sister and a terrible movie.

Grams was just finishing up in the kitchen as You came in. “Ah, You.”

“Grams… dinner was wonderful.”

“Thank you dear. Now listen, I want you two to take my bed tonight. I’m not going to make him get all the way onto the floor tonight.”

“Grams, we’re not actually togeth-”

“Oh, horse-hockey. You two are always together. You’re practically brothers now. Just think of it that way.”

“You getting on the floor isn’t nice either…”

“I’m better at it than he’d be right now.”

You couldn’t help but agree.

“You!”

“You’re being summoned,” Grams smirked. They both knew that exaggerated cry.

“This movie’s killing me!”

“Better go before he gets his boxers in a knot.”

“Thanks, Grams.” You gave her a warm hug and went to ‘rescue’ Gackt.

Gackt reached out for You. “You, this movie’s terrible… It’s all… going… black…”

“It’s not that bad, dork.” Miyuki defended.

“Ooh, I love this movie,” Grams said as she came into the sitting room.

“Bleh…” Gackt pretend died.

You took Gackt’s hand and moved to pick him up. “You’re gonna hurt if you don’t cooperate…” he reminded his ‘princess’.

Gackt got into You’s arms. “I’m gonna take this drama queen to bed. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” The three others said.

You lowered Gackt onto the bed, wondering when it had been remade. “Why are we in here?”

“Grams told me to use her room tonight, so live with it.” He closed the door to muffle the cross-room noises.

“Oh…” Gackt sat up and looked out the window. You sat in the chair next to the bed.

“Gaku… It’s time to talk. Gaku?” You slowly extended a finger towards Gackt’s cheek, like in _E.T._ He lightly poked the cheek and it snapped away, scowling at You.

“It’s time to talk. Why are you so fixated on those papers?”

Gackt looked down. “You never believed me, but you understood… Kami doesn’t really do either…” It was an odd place to start, but that’s what came out first.

“Gaku, after today, I believe you. I believe all that ghost stuff you’ve told me.” You ran his knuckles down Gackt’s upper arm. “It’s a lot creepier now than it had been, but I’m 100% in your corner now.”

“There weren’t a whole lot of ‘spiritual issues’ the last few years with Malice Mizer. But there were small things… I think Mana and Közi believe it, but they lean that way anyway. Kami…” Gackt sighed. “He always thinks I’m joking, or too superstitious.”

“Are you going to tell him how you got hurt?”

“I hope most of it’s gone by the time we get back… I can pass off a cracked rib as happening while doing something stupid…”

“And if not?”

“I don’t know… I don’t even know about ‘us’ anymore… I’m not the vocalist anymore, remember?”

“I’m sure you’re not just a convenient fuck.”

“I just need some time on that…”

“Back to the papers, Gaku…”

He glanced up at the window and back to You, “Those papers, well, they form a barrier. It keeps pretty much everything about 10 meters away from the house. Including innocuous spirits.”

“There’s nice spirits?”

“Yes. There’s two that are usually here. Maybe in some lifetime they were brother and sister, but they’ve been here at least since I drowned. Sometimes they’ll accidentally break something or be a little cranky, but they don’t mean any harm.”

“And Grams lets them stay?” You did notice that Gackt didn’t add ‘almost’ to ‘drowned’.

“Yeah. She says grandfather originally let them stay, so it was the least she could do after he passed away. They were… distressed when that happened.”

You wouldn’t pursue that discussion, inferring from Gackt’s pause that it wouldn’t be wise to talk about that.

“They’re pretty worried right now.” Gackt was looking out the window again. You looked as well, wondering if maybe he could see _something_ , but it was just your average twilight darkness.

“They’re pretty good alarm dogs too.”

You chuckled, then went, “What?”

“They want to protect this place, so they warn us if someone, anyone really, is coming. If it’s a stranger, they’re a bit agitated, but if they know who or what it is, they’re happy. Grams can’t read their emotions as well as I can, but they make it clear enough for her to understand.”

“If they’re good, why did she… um…” He didn’t know the right word to describe it, “push them away?”

“They can get in the way sometimes. They probably wouldn’t have been a help when Mikumi did her thing either. And Grams probably didn’t want me to be overwhelmed by their presence.”

“You did seem to calm down once the papers started getting put up… But if all it takes is a few pieces of paper, or a symbol, or something, why don’t you have that everywhere?”

“I tried a few times, but it never seemed to work, they just got indigestion. Those were made by my grandfather. Grams’ are 50/50.”

“Oh…” He guessed that made sense. “Shall we get ready for bed?”

Gackt nodded.

~*~*~*~*~*~


End file.
